By Desmond Nleya
A special tribunal in Dhaka is expected to issue its ruling today in the case against former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is being tried in absentia on charges of crimes against humanity linked to a deadly crackdown on student-led protests.
Hasina, 78, and two former senior officials stand accused of orchestrating last year’s violent suppression of mass demonstrations sparked by a disputed quota system for government jobs. The unrest, which marked one of the largest uprisings in the country’s recent history, left an estimated 1,400 people dead.
The 2024 protest movement ultimately ended Hasina’s 15-year tenure, a period critics say was characterized by authoritarian practices, restrictions on dissent, and widespread extrajudicial detentions and killings. Since being ousted, she has lived in exile in India and has not appeared publicly or online.
Her party, the now-banned Awami League, has denounced the tribunal as politically motivated, labeling it a “kangaroo court” and calling on supporters to demonstrate—raising concerns about potential unrest as the verdict approaches.
